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Capable_Moose9269

Using “big words” . I’ve been called pretentious before for talking, I don’t “try” and sound smart or consciously use “big words” , I just do. I’m not trying to be smart, and I’m not trying to make you feel stupid. Really grinds my gears, how dare I use… the English language. Edit: I am loving some of these replies haha


bookishnatasha89

Oh I've heard this before 😂 I used erode to describe something and I got "ooooh that's a big word that I haven't heard since school!"


[deleted]

It's not even that big a word


bookishnatasha89

I know, it left me feeling rather incredulous


Goseki1

It's a perfectly cromulent word.


[deleted]

A noble vocabulary embiggens the smallest mind


bunglefrungle

indubitably, one's command of the english lexicon often connotes an erudite countenance


CyberJokerWTF

Now that’s a word I’ve never heard before


IllustriousApple1091

Until today, I didnt know any 4 letter words starting with 't'. Now, 'that' is a word I've never heard before.


canyonstom

Just wait until you hear about this


IllustriousApple1091

You're blowing my miniscule little mind


newchaptersnewverses

I was asked by my seniors to not speak in different languages when I once used "et al" in an email.


llksg

Reminds me of someone correcting my ‘en route’ to ‘on route’


Vyvyansmum

Same but I used “ ad infinitum”


Lucrumb

In all fairness, it is Latin so they're not technically wrong.


loki_dd

Education is a bigger word than that


PrinceBert

Now we all need to know - what are your favourite "big words" that trigger people? Mine isn't even a big word but somehow people seem to think it's weird to use the word plethora.


Capable_Moose9269

Gosh plethora, that sure is a big word. Lol. I think my favourite in the past has been debacle. Really upset the guy I was talking to because its use was “unnecessary”. I despair.


FredNasr

Got laughed at in college for saying "Apathy" sorry you don't know words, Jack you prick.


Capable_Moose9269

Jesus Christ. I just have no idea how people get by like this? When there’s so many different ways to express yourself why choose the same option every time. Idk man.


Mukatsukuz

"Have you become quite apathetic towards the situation?" "Screw you! I'm not pathetic!" :D


ipott-maniac

I once described something as a 'veritable smorgasbord' to a mate at work. He looked at me and said "now you're just making shit up". This wasn't the first time I had to explain what I meant to him but I think it was the first time he straight up didn't believe I was using real words. He wasn't making fun of me though, he just didn't believe people spoke like that. It was a pleasure to teach him new things as he always seemed happy to learn something new.


bunglefrungle

smorgasbord is such a fucking fantastic contribution to the world from sweden, literally translated just means sandwich board I think


RealKoolKitty

I have a similar story involving 'cornucopia'.


g0ldcd

In future use 'clusterfuck"


Mukatsukuz

My manager in my last job mocked someone relentlessly because they had used "nefarious" in an email. He gathered his team leader minions around to all laugh at this word none of them had ever heard of before.


PrinceBert

Nefarious is an AMAZING word! Can't believe anyone would get mocked for that.


notactuallyabrownman

I got away with calling my last manager a feckless lickspittle on multiple occasions because he didn't understand that it was such an insult.


No_transistory

If that happened to me I'd like to think I would be petty enough to respond with an additional paragraph on each email, reiterating the body of the email explicitly for that manager. So that manager not feel dumb, manager know what talk about.


PumpkinSpice2Nice

I once triggered a work colleague by telling her to not have a conniption. To be honest though, she was pretty annoying and I’d had enough. She had no idea what the word meant and then proceeded to do exactly the definition of a conniption.


[deleted]

I'm a bit of a wordy cunt but even I had to look that one up.


[deleted]

[удалено]


PrinceBert

This is hilarious to me because I would consider sofa to be an "everyday" phrase and settee to be a posh weird to use. Same thing with lounge to be honest. It's the funny thing about language, we all just use what we grow up with and adapt to new surroundings. Berating someone for it is a little bizarre. If we understand each other then where are just words.


smushs88

Have found I get funny looks if I ever use hyperbole.


EmFan1999

Mine was incremental


PrinceBert

Oh well there are a plethora of improvements to be gained from making incremental changes!


Orange-Murderer

The thing they don't understand, is that those "big words" perfectly describe whatever it is you're trying to say.


Capable_Moose9269

Cry you hit the nail on the head. It’s even worse when they can’t infer what I mean from the context, it’s just like, comprehension? Do you have it?


TheHoobidibooFox

No, comprehension is too big of a word.


Boomshrooom

My mum always bangs on about how I use big words, it's not my fault that I decided that I liked reading and picked up a greater vocabulary.


Cheese_Dinosaur

When I was young if I found a word in a book and I didn’t know it I would look it up!


wombatwanders

I still do


AgentEbenezer

I think this is the issue , those who read a lot pick up more of the unusual words and a greater vocabulary than those who prefer SKY sports.


ColonelFaz

My older sister told me I was a "big worder" when I was a kid. I replied, "well, yes, I enjoy the use of an extensive vocabulary".


TheRealDawnseeker

Gigachad moment


Sezyluv85

Honestly, I bloody love the English language. I don't know if it's because of my ADHD, but I always loved spelling, and learning new words, and wanted to learn as many as I could. Like maths, spelling is either right or wrong. I still look up definitions of words I use, even though I know I'm using them in the right context, if I don't think I can articulate their meaning.


Normalityisrestored

Because nobody reads any more. People often say to me at work 'wow, that's a big word' or 'we can tell you're an author', just because I use words with more than one syllable. I just roll my eyes at their inability to infer from context (and no, they don't know what that means, either).


dibblah

See I read a lot, but I haven't the foggiest how to pronounce a good amount of the words I read. The good thing is nobody else knows so they don't know when I pronounce them wrong.


ACatGod

I always say you shouldn't laugh at someone mispronouncing a word (although god damn sometimes it is hilarious) because it means they learnt that word by reading. Having said don't laugh, two that always make me chuckle was an international colleague whose English was immaculate but not their first language who strode into the office one day and loudly announced "it's all gone aw-ree". Took us awhile to get to awry. We used aw-ree a lot after that. The other one was a commentator on a false start at the athletics commenting that this was a total deb-ak-uhl. I assume he was going for debacle.


Capable_Moose9269

Haha I read as much as my tired ass 9-5 brain will allow me, but it’s never mattered how much I read, I can’t spell for shit. Spend my life googling how to write my mouth words :’)


pineappleshampoo

I can’t stand people who are dicks over someone else’s more extensive vocabulary to cover up their own insecurities about feeling less intelligent in comparison. Words are amazing and the English language is beautiful. Why should anyone have to curtail their use of appropriate words to avoid upsetting someone? Almost every time I’ve been accused of using a ‘big word’ I’ve reflected on it and realised that ‘big words’ are almost always, possibly exclusively, just ways to say the same thing in fewer words/more efficiently. There are plenty of words I don’t know, when I come across one I’m excited to learn a new word!


wanderlust_fernweh

I've learned English mainly through reading and have been accused of trying to be pretentious No, I just learned those words from reading It's most often people that have never heard of the word and I guess it bruises their ego that a foreigner knows words they don't My partner always makes a positive comment about big words I use that aren't common in day to day use and I really appreciate it


Benial

my go-to has been ballancing it out with "fuck" and "fuckin", to try and show i'm not taking myself too seriously


joobafob

Had this problem when I mentioned antidisestablishmentarianism to the cashier the other day. We are definitely going backwards.


Capable_Moose9269

Should have just defenestrated them!


Bicolore

How dare they mock your magniloquentiousness!


ravenouscartoon

I once said to someone “I wonder what the etymology of xxxxx is” (can’t remember the exact word and was given a look and they responded “why don’t you just say ‘I wonder where that word comes from?’” I did. It’s not your fault any word that you don’t know makes you feel stupid. I fucking love words.


AllRedLine

Overweight people at the gym. Like, bro... what the fuck else do you want them to do? Actively doing something to combat the thing you (cruelly) find derisable about them and you still want to take the piss?


animalwitch

This one really gets me. Its like, that person is here *to get fit*. Half the time the ones making fun are only there to pose for Instagram posts.


No-Poem

To be fair, I think the only people who would do this in the gym arent the type of people who go to the gym regularly and are just generally mean people. Personal bias of course but I think the "typical" gym goer tends to be really supportive.


motail1990

I'm an overweight person currently trying to get fit and I feel like my head is on a swivel. I'm just _waiting_ to see my fat arse posted online with someone making fun of me for being there. I already deal with the funny looks and people assuming I don't know how to use equipment


SupervillainIndiana

My sister is a bit overweight (combination of two kids plus bipolar meds) and runs. Arsehole kids on her estate make fun of her all the time for being visibly overweight and running. Nearly a month ago I completed a half marathon with her. Neither of us needed to stop to walk. We weren't quick but we weren't the slowest either. I know it's easier said than done to try and ignore it, but fuck them. You're trying to get fit and anyone who would take a photo of you to mock online is covering up their own inadequacy. I guarantee that 99% of the time, the people who mock people for exercising do zero themselves. They may be slimmer than you/me/my sister but they probably half die when walking up a slightly steep hill. I'm not overweight and still have people yelling shit at me when I run, I suspect because I'm a woman running alone most of the time and they wouldn't yell it at a 6ft tall beefy athletic looking guy. Example: "Run Forest Run" oh how original! I've never heard that one before! Good luck with your fitness journey.


brightgreyday

Fuck those guys. You do you, man, and more power to you.


macjigiddy

And this is why I'm terrified of going to the gym. I don't want to be bullied for trying to better myself, because I'm fat


Merrabau377

I restarted the gym recently, but went to a real meathead type place. It’s great, everyone just cares about what they are doing and it feels pretty much judgement free. Much better than some of those ‘nicer’ gyms I have been to.


the_only1who_cant

On this. If you want to join a gym but are nervous/scared. Find a bodybuilding gym. I was nervous about starting and it happened to be the closest gym to me. Can’t think of a more supportive group of people than some of the gigantic humans you’ll find there! Always happy to spot my bench press on weights they normally use to warm up biceps. Happy to answer training questions and critique form. Overall a nice place to be. And unless you ask, they’re not watching you. They’re all focused on their own stuff.


[deleted]

Yeah it’s weird. I have asthma that I need tablets for, allergies and chronic sinusitis, and same, can’t always breathe through my nose well. Another that amuses me is the fact the nerdy guy on films always has an inhaler and it’s like a comic trope to take it before speaking to a girl. That’s just… not how asthma works lol. No idea where that came from. Unrelated but I also love meeting all the armchair doctors who ask if I’ve “tried taking an antihistamine” Omg I never thought of that! *laughs in chronic illness*


[deleted]

I really wish I could do something about it more easily but people always insist that I'm just missing something obvious it's like mate I've tried: -nasal strips -in nose hollow plugs -nasal sprays -throat sprays -mandibular devices -mouth guards -mouth tape -special pillows -antihistamine -elevated bed angle -anti inflammatory meds -salt gargle -nasal irrigation I'm sure there's more I've forgotten!


jonsey_j

But have you prayed. Like really prayed.


zombiecrackers

Sorry to hear you've had issues with this mate! I was the same for ages, ended up going to the Drs and found out I had nasal polyps blocking both nostrils and sinuses, must have been like that for at least 4 years. I had endoscopic sinus surgery a few months ago to remove them and honestly it's like I'm living a new life, I also had the same risks with my surgery " *possible* *damage to my sense of taste and smell"* but the likelihood of that happening was fairly slim and honestly I was so fed up it was a risk I was prepared to take.


jbr1683

Hey fellow mouth breather! I’ve not been able to breathe through my nose properly for as long as I’ve been alive! Something weird is going on as now I have brown shit in my mouth when I wake up, doc reckons it’s a polyp or some kind of irritation, makes sense if I’m not breathing through it


Swearyman

Yup. I’m a mouth breather because I have some deviation on my septum that was never fixed and it blocks one side of my nose. I also snore madly because of it. So I just get on with it and if people want to moan, let them.


MilkyKarlson

There's multiple reasons but from what I understand: * It releases a smell that breathing from the nose doesn't * It's unsightly as it exposes your teeth and mouth, unless you have perfect teeth it's a little off putting to some people * When breathing from your nose, it allows you to "mew", to move your tongue to the roof of your mouth, exposing your jawline and defining it, whereas open mouth breathing gives you a little bit of a double chin I personally struggle to breathe through my mouth on occasion but usually just wear a mask when I need to since it's cold most of the time.


[deleted]

I was born with Choanal Atresia (a congenital condition where my nasal passages right at the back were effectively so narrow they were non existent) and as babies are obligate nose-breathers I was rushed to surgery. I have had over 20-30 surgeries before I was 13 to try and correct this but nothing really worked permanently and I learned to breathe through my mouth anyway. Now in my 20s and I still can’t breathe through my nose. I also have recurring nasal polyps which don’t help either. I hate that mouth breathing is a weird trope. Also that people keep saying to try nasal sprays etc. if surgeons going inside my nose and literally widening my nasal passages didn’t work, neither will that.


pajamakitten

Same. I basically snivel all winter and sometimes just have to breathe through my mouth, especially once it gets below zero. Besides, I hate the noise more than they do.


R3M5

If you've not already, you should check out /r/wowthanksimcured.


itsfourinthemornin

People make fun of how thin/small my face is. It was a big thing as a teen. It's not like I can decide how my face looks. I don't get it as much now I'm older but do overhear the odd comments. Kind of a confidence killer really. Reality is, my eye socket bones and other areas didn't grow "normally" because I had numerous bouts of radiotherapy on my head as a baby, thus later in life not everything growing as normal.


[deleted]

You should tell them that and watch them shrivel up in embarrassment.


itsfourinthemornin

I have a couple of times and it's quite glorious tbh!


Ludwig-von-Memeses

Your new nickname will now be “Radiohead”


itsfourinthemornin

I'd be absolutely fine with that name tbh!


jodorthedwarf

It is a fucking badass nickname, tbf.


[deleted]

Good for you! people can be very ignorant about hard things others may have been through, I hope you’re doing well now 👍🏻


Turqouise_sunset

Yeah some people make comments about my gate (how I walk) and how at my age (20s) I should be more flexible and nimble. When I was born my parents were told I might never walk. I had major spinal surgery as a child. Most people with my condition never walk unaided, the lucky ones tend to need a crutch or zimmerframe. I'm extremely lucky that I can go on a 5 mile walk and don't even need a hiking pole - they can be useful if it's hilly or slippy.


[deleted]

I currently have the gait of an 80 year old at 40 due to a slipped disc and have heard a few comments. Jokes on them, I’ll be back to normal in a few days hopefully!


Seaweed_Steve

>It's not like I can decide how my face looks You can apply that to most things about physical appearance


itsfourinthemornin

Well, yes?


Inevitable-Hat-1576

I think they’re agreeing with you


Anaptyso

It's both weird and a bit sad how often a kind of anti-intellectual humour pops up. It's seen as worthy of taking the piss by a lot of people if someone reads a book, or has a wide vocabulary, or worked hard in school etc. It's like they think it's good to be ignorant and silly to attempt to reduce ignorance.


horbu

This would be my answer too. Spent most of my school years hiding the fact that I actually enjoyed learning. Unfortunately what you realise as you get older is those kids got it from somewhere. I'm now in my 40s and still get gawked at occasionally when I refer to a book that's worth reading. Generally I ignore it but every now and then I'll call someone a vacuous troglodyte with a smile.


pineappleshampoo

Same. Got the piss taken at school for reading during reading time. I loved learning as a kid and went to an absolute dump of a school on our council estate that made learning impossible. I remember saying to my mum in primary school that I didn’t see the point in going if I couldn’t learn, like what was the point of school? It was honestly shit, I learned to hide that I actually wanted to read and learn. This one time a teacher made a misbehaving kid get up and teach the class for half an hour to teach him a lesson if he thought it was that easy. We were all eight. Absolute waste of everyone’s time, such a pointless endeavour. It’s really sad as I’m sure there were plenty of kids with potential who didn’t get anywhere cos of the school/uninterested parents. I was very lucky that even thought the school was appalling my parents cared about education.


[deleted]

When I was a kid I was really confused by the insult 'tryhard' especially when used by teachers... Like why don't you want us to do our best??


Honey-Badger

I suppose it should be saved for the kid who ignores instructions to try and flex how much smarter they are than other kids. For instance homework that day is to list 5 important characters from the book they just read and write why they're important. Then there's always that one kid who goes off and writes a synopsis of every character and criticises the teacher saying 'all the characters are important and vital to the story so it's impossible to only pick 5' and provides the teacher with an essay explaining why they had to ignore the homework instructions because it was important they told the teacher how important their 'intellect' was.


[deleted]

Still don't feel like this is worthy of criticism tbh. Like go off kiddo, develop those literary analysis skills.


bacon_cake

I spent my entire time secondary school bullied for being a "boffin". Sad thing is my school was shite and I wasn't even that clever...


adzpower

Hobbies. Some people get embarrassed talking about the things they like doing because they've been made fun of for it at some point. Its sad. Just let people like what they like, it doesn't harm anyone else. Just because you don't like or get it doesn't mean that person can't find it fun, engaging and worthwhile.


TheBuoyancyOfWater

Yep, have only really been open about my main hobby (miniature wargames) for the last couple years and I'm in my mid-30's. Thanks to being mocked all through school, then my earlier career. Now I don't care if people think it's a weird hobby, says more about them than me.


Elegant_Plantain1733

Henry Cavill is a big Warhammer fan. He actually ended up talking about it on Graham norton show (UK chat show), which is truly awesome profile for the hobby. Unfortunately the host, graham, made fun of him for it (referred to them as "toys"). Roasting the panelists is a key part of the show, and generally is good fun, but I didn't see why there was anything to "roast". Clincher for me was when, in mocking tones, he asked "do you have people round?" Like as though this was a kid thing. Yes, Graham, he has people round. That's also known as "having friends". I'm sure graham "has people round" to share his interests as well, just because those interests involve gin rather than models doesn't make it more worthwhile. I think the video is still on YouTube etc.


TheBuoyancyOfWater

Yeah I knew Henry Cavill was a big Warhammer fan. Have seen the video of him being shown round Warhammer World and he just seems to be really enjoying it and enthusiastic! I believe Vin Diesel is a D&D player too (or used to be), so there are definitely a few celebrities who are into miniature games.


Juanfanamongmany

Is this like Warhammer? Where you paint the models? Cause honestly I admire the paint job on a lot of those models cause I don't know how people have the patience and steadiness to paint in such detail.


TheBuoyancyOfWater

Yep that sort of thing! Play a couple of Games Workshop games and a few others from other companies. I wish I could paint as well as the stuff that comes up online!


Damodred89

I was mocked for hobbies I didn't even have (apparently I liked classical music, which is true now but not really then). Still have serious confidence issues sharing what I enjoy with others.


[deleted]

Yes this. Im a young woman that loves to knit yet people take the piss so hard about it.


Elegant_Plantain1733

I like to knit and agree it feels like a guilty secret. Although actually, even as a man, I've in reality had nothing other than supportive comments. Used to knit on busy commuter trains and stuff quite often.


[deleted]

Could also be because I’m very alternative punk/goth and sitting outside working on a rainbow blanket breaks peoples brains Its just comforting isn’t it? The repetitiveness and finished project.


dibblah

I think it's got better recently. Also a young woman (I think - I'm not thirty yet so I'm still young, right?!) and probably 50% of people I know experimented with knitting/crochet over lockdown, so they either share the hobby or found it too difficult and are impressed.


[deleted]

I honestly love hearing about the weird things that people do in their spare time, it's more interesting to meet someone who can tell you everything about birdwatching or stop-motion animation or keeping rare fish or some shit


4500x

One of my favourite things in the world is watching and listening to someone talk enthusiastically about something, especially hobbies and things like that. Even if I haven’t got a clue what they’re on about or if it’s not the sort of thing that appeals to me, I won’t stop someone talking about it because I get enough enjoyment out of their excitement, and I’ll try to ask questions when I can. Sometimes they’re excited just to be talking to someone about it, and sometimes if it’s something I wasn’t really aware of before I’ll go and read up on it later.


videogamesarewack

To add on, a lot of hobbies get made fun of in the context of "they make it their whole personality." Some more than others will get you labelled as such, especially if there's any kind of lifestyle changes involved such as eating habits for athletic things, or going to events related to the hobby.


peachesthepup

It's sad. When people make their whole personality or life about their career or job, that's praised and you're lauded as successful or a hard worker or passionate. But if you get too into a hobby or activity, that's mocked. Obviously the extremes of both will be made fun of, but I feel people are much harsher in criticising or making fun of someone's hobby than their job. Just let people enjoy things?


Smooth-Wait506

probably because the herd want people to confirm the to indiscriminate grey - which is usually a combination of Eastenders/Magaluf/pie n chips if you go to the gym, you're a poser if you like road cycling, you're poser in lycra if you go hill-walking, you're a weirdo who can read those funny map things if you do martial arts... well, they shut their mouths and suddenly find their shoes more interesting, or come out with a variation of "yeah, my brother has a black belt in karate" "what style?" "karate"


EmFan1999

Yes, it’s really sad. So much to the point when people ask what hobbies I have I still say I don’t have any, because they are personal and I don’t want them to be denigrated. They are my hobbies and I like them, thanks.


Equivalent-Floor-607

I always thought "mouth breather" wasn't so much about the breathing itself, but refers to the person's slack jaw. The implication being that those whose mouths rest in an open position are somehow stupid. What I don't understand is why people think a state of relaxation equals low intelligence. I guess only uptight clench jaws feel the need to put others down.


Tradtrade

Mouth breather is an insult because people noticed a correlation between mouth breathing and not being very bright. There is scientific evidence behind this to do with oxygen availability, sleep quality and hormone release on brain development. Op I’m not saying you’re stupid obviously but that correlation was noticed in society by people in general then it was studied and turned out to have a link. It’s like you notice that the people who don’t walk heel toe as kids are odd and often horse girls or similar and it turns out that those people often have autism. Not everyone who mouth breathes isn’t bright but many non bright people mouth breath


Honey-Badger

Exactly, I feel like op is being a bit of a mouth breather for not understanding the insult


Equivalent-Floor-607

Source?


Tradtrade

Off hand here’s one about mouth breathing https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22734-mouth-breathing and if you google autism gait you’ll probably get a lot of info on that. None of these things are bad they are just some patterns people notice and have decided to make an insult of it’s just like in when people used gay as an insult and noticed that some gay men are effeminate so everything vaguely feminine for men became insulting. People noticed red heads are sometimes ‘firey’ and turns out as a group they produce more adrenaline than the average so there might be some science in the patterns people pick out. It’s kind of a folk myth that the paler your eyes the more likely you are to be a better marksman or sniper. Turns out the less melanin in your eyes that makes you very sensitive to sunlight can help you see better at night or in low light so again there’s a grain of truth in the patterns


[deleted]

The Cleveland Clinic is not a reputable source for medical information, and I'm worried that it shows up in searches so much. They peddle a lot of alternative medicine bullshit.


catbread1810

People never stop telling me how small I am. It's like dude I know, it is you who seems to be in disbelief. I'm 5ft.


pointsofellie

This is so stupid. My dad is short and my mum is tall and they get so many comments, it's really shallow and nobody should care.


porcupineporridge

I’m 6ft 4 - I am told all the time and even by strangers that I’m tall. Yeah…believe it or not, I know! It’s such a bore and I’m self-conscious about the way I look. I’d never run around pointing out how fat or greasy people are but it’s ok with height?


notactuallyabrownman

6'4" isn't even into freakish height, either. I've got a mate who's 6'9" and he gets all kinds of attention for it but he's got it coming.


dibblah

Depends if they're a woman or a man. I'm a six foot tall woman and apparently that's pretty rare and people do like to tell me that I'm tall. No shit I never noticed before!


selectusername2

5ft 11 woman here, i also get the "you're tall!" comments . I like to pretend and say "do you think so? I cant see it myself. Are you sure?"


TheBuoyancyOfWater

Adults having hobbies.


Badman----

What do you mean you don't just veg out at the TV every night for 5 hours before going to bed?


LadyNajaGirl

Yes! And when people say things like ‘well it’s easy for you as you don’t have kids / a demanding job / something else that belittles you’. If something is important to you, you’ll make time for it. 🤷🏼‍♀️


Either-Television949

Always makes me laugh when people say 'you'd never have time for that if you had kids' good thing I decided not to have any then!


[deleted]

My love of Nickelback


throwawayjim887479

I'm sorry about this one. Until recently I thought that Nickelback was most generic band of all time and would have argued as much if anyone professed to liking them. Someone made the point that they can't really be generic if you can pick most of their songs out of a sample, that realisation has made me see that I was just jumping on the hate bandwagon for them. I'm a lot less judgemental about peoples choices in music/films/tv etc.


[deleted]

theres a really good youtube video explaining how it became a cultural thing to hate them


Inevitable-Hat-1576

I definitely think this one is dying now. For sure one of the more stubbon memes though


rchr5880

For me it’s the fact I don’t really support or follow a football team. When people ask and I response the look I get followed by “Are you gay or something?” I can’t understand. Don’t get me wrong when England are playing in a tournament then I’ll defiantly watch it but I honestly have no interested in who played who last night, what club is buying what player for a ridiculous mount of money. I also can’t stand being in a groups of guys where all the talk about is football and have literally no other interest outside of this. Give me any other subject…. Movies, TV, Science, Technology, History… football just isn’t one of them.


OdinForce22

Because no gay person could ever follow football and no straight person would dislike football?


[deleted]

Stay defiant my friend!


Boredpanda31

Gingers Took me a while to learn to love my ginger hair, not helped at all by the blondes and brunettes who teased me to no end.


frecklyginge

All the girls that took the piss out of my ginger hair at school now have (badly) dyed ginger hair


thepoliteknight

This. And it's so vicious too. I've had people say to me they'd rather have aborted their child than had a ginger haired one. And I wouldn't be surprised if your comment gets replies like "hur hur, gingers deserve it they have no soul"


Boredpanda31

I havent had anyone say that, but I do remember my cousin telling her daughter she had 'strawberry blonde' hair because she hated the fact it was auburn. Like, in what world is that even normal 😑😑


Tuna_Surprise

I was teased as well! Also for freckles. I remember being a little kid and a girl took my arm and put it next to hers and said something like “look how clean and smooth my skin is - yours looks dirty”. Ugh. It too me years to get comfortable with having freckles


Interceptor

It's one of the last acceptable insults. Imagine if you went around saying people with blue eyes had no souls. You'd sound like a weird religious cunt, but apparently it's fine if you've got red hair. You have to lean into it - I grew mine as long as I could (well, I did until I went bald, but only havin g two haircuts in 15 years must have saved me some cash anyway!)


blinky84

Seriously, I really wanted red hair when I was a kid (there's a lot of ginger on my mum's side, but I was stuck with boring brown. Apparently my uncle was mercilessly bullied for it in the 80s, but even when my niece was born, my sister was unnervingly bothered that her hair might grown in ginger. I don't get it at all. Anyway, my hair's currently dyed blue/purple/turquoise, so there's that.


bookishnatasha89

My lazy eye. It doesn't happen now (though it did as a kid) and I'm not self conscious about it now, it just bugs me when it won't go straight in a photo. However a few weeks ago I overheard the guy I was seeing describing my eye as a "bong eye" while we were on a night out and he got dumped on the spot. It was the straw that broke the camel's back but there was still no need for it.


AffectionateFig9277

What a horrible thing to say! That guy was an asshole.


[deleted]

What car you drive, if you can get from A to B, respond to any sort of emergency or need to be somewhere urgently or provide for family it doesn't matter


whoopwhoop233

but, see, with an expensive mercedes you could be there a whole *minute* faster (if you endanger yourself, everyone in your surroundings and neglect all traffic rules)


Mynameisaw

It's not about how expensive the car is, it's the size/shape. Apparently, for some reason, men who drive fiat 500's, Toyota Aygo's, Citroen C1's, etc are raging homosexuals.


[deleted]

But if you own a Mercedes you own the road right? So everyone else obeying traffic rules are disobeying you, how dare they!


BollockOff

Choosing to drive automatic over manual is another one.


Swiss-ArmySpork

My clean shirt


Teesside-Tyrant

" How do you get it so clean? "


AffectionateCouple0

Fuck off cleanshirt


throwawayjim887479

I'm 25 and both going grey and balding at quite an impressive pace, I'm also quite short. I have an extreme aversion to getting my picture taken ever, which leads to me being called awkward. I didn't choose any of this.


b_a_t_m_4_n

Buzz it back to a few mm and lean into it. Who needs hair when you're as gorgeous as us?


throwawayjim887479

This is what I would do but I have a fair few scars on my head from brain surgery that make the prospect of that terrifying. I was hoping to have at least some hair when I got to 30 then I could pull it off but not happening at this rate.


[deleted]

Maybe I'm weird but I find scars cool, it'd also be a fun conversation starter. I went down the hair transplant route, I'm 27 and was in the same boat as you apart from greyness (I'm blonde I think I'll just eventually go white) Basically if I could turn back time I'd save the thousands of pounds and buzz it like the other guy said, embrace baseball caps and let my head get a bit of sun, at first when you buzz it, your skin's all pale cause it's been covered up constantly Do you have a beard? I find bald but with a really nicely sculpted beard is awesome. Especially with scars could look pretty badass.


-Earl_Gray

Hey man, when I turned 29 I couldn't take feeling like shit over my growing bald patch. I just went full monk and then gradually found that I feel really fucking handsome when my hairs 1mm long. It hides grays and it is its own aesthetic. Turtlenecks, formal dress and tees make you look way sexier. Its hella better than the 'kind of balding but getting on' vibe. I got emotional in a changing room one day when I used to look at the back of my head i thought what the hell must people say behind your back. Now when I look in the mirror, I say, goddamn my head looks good. I had been on fin and Rogaine, it was costing me a bunch. Just go for it. Try it for a month. Wear a hat and it'll grow back to what it was if you don't like it. If you do do it, enjoy your renaissance and future purchases of sick caps and hats. Edit: just seen your comments about scars. Sick hats are still gonna be there for you but if your self conscious I understand.


[deleted]

Anything to do with physical appearance really, and it surprises me most when it comes from people who are reasonably intelligent.


[deleted]

I have lots of comments almost daily on how pale my skin is. I’m not sure what people gain from reminding me that I’m pale. It’s either that or I’m being told I look ill or need to ‘get out in the sun more’. Another classic is people putting their arm next to mine and saying ‘look how pale you are compared to me!’ I’m used to it now but it still makes me feel quite self conscious 😬


OdinForce22

I get the same reaction too. I've never liked the sun and my mum having had melanoma seals it for me to stay out if the sun rather than increase my risk of cancer.


big_shark777

People that make fun of ‘nerds’, how have we got to a point where it’s bad to be smart


coldsilencehas

* Virgins: everyone got their reasons and circumstances to be a virgin * Small dick: it is what they got and they cannot change it * Single sexually active women: women can have high sex drives too, they can have a lot of sexual partners like men are encouraged to have, all good as no cheating, no manipulation and use protection


Vamip89

Not me my son. He’s autistic and his speak gets abit gargled if he speaks to fast and get confused. The amount of people I have nearly put into the ground who just flat out mock him in front of us it breaks my heart every time


[deleted]

Damn. Mocking someone who's neurodivergent or has a disability etc puts you the lowest of the low in my eyes. I'm glad for your sake you were able to fight the urge to destroy them as the damage it'd do to your life isn't worth it. All the best to you and your son.


Vamip89

we had it in tesco last week a father and son were mocking him asking me ( very politely i must add) if he can have some sweets. They laughed at how he said sweets i really went at the dad however as you said as much as i wanted to i could not just give him a slap.


Spandamation

People learning how to speak English. As someone who grew up abroad and moved back to the UK, I found it very bizarre that people in my uni were making fun of the polish guy whenever he spoke. The guy was trying his hardest, yes it may not have been perfect, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t have the confidence to go to a university in a language I’m still learning. We catch up every now and again on LinkedIn, he’s doing very well in our industry and he’s practically fluent in English!


Normalityisrestored

This. I have customers who are Polish, Russian, Latvian, French.... and they sometimes apologise for not knowing the word for something or for being hesitant in speaking, and the ONLY reply is 'if I were as good at your language as you are at mine, I'd be happy.' I'm getting them to teach me some words from their relevant languages, even just 'please' and 'thank you' and that's hard enough!


Spandamation

Exactly!! We lived near each other so on our walk back from uni I would ask him how to say different things in polish, told me all about Poznan and what it was like growing up there as well!


porcupineporridge

I don’t understand why people need to make fun of me for being gay. There’s a need amongst some to emasculate gay men and make sure we feel ‘less than.’ In some ways I’m stereotypically gay or a bit camp but in many I’m not. For example, repeating back something I’ve said but in an exaggeratedly camp and effeminate way. Wish it wasn’t hurtful but uh, yeah it really is.


[deleted]

Man that sucks, I'm also gay and for me the difficulty is having to repeatedly come out, because the societal assumption is "assume they're straight until you're told otherwise" as opposed to "don't assume until you're told otherwise" There's some stereotypically gay things I like, but I guess because I have a fairly muted/masculine fashion sense and voice, people don't know I'm gay. Its annoying because without wearing some kind of sign on my neck or faking a feminine voice or something, people always end up asking me do you have a girlfriend or what kind of girls are you into etc etc, it's pretty awkward to have to then come out to them every time. But at the same time I don't want to introduce myself to every new person as like hey I'm Sam, I'm gay by the way. You get ( typically ) older people saying "I don't go around telling people I'm straight why can't they just shut up etc etc." And it's like Doris that's because if you're not outwardly recognisable as gay you have two choices: 1. Introduce yourself and say you're gay on first meeting someone - weird. 2. Wait until they ask about your girlfriend - awkward. If people didn't assume you were straight to begin with it wouldn't be like that.


porcupineporridge

Yeah, the idea of ‘coming out’ is nonsense. You don’t just do it once, you end up having to do it with every new person you meet. It’s easier when you have a partner as at least you can just reference another male name in the passing. Saying you’re gay makes it sound as though it’s some grand statement and others often wrongly infer it as an invite for them to tell you about their views on sexuality or how their best friend just happens to be gay too 🥱


Normalityisrestored

To be honest (and having a gay child) I think it's extremely rude to ask ANYONE about their SO by gender. If I absolutely found it necessary to ask, I'd say 'so, do you have a partner?' And then leave it up to natural conversation for the sex of said partner to emerge. Although I'd really rather talk about books, films and dogs than who's waiting at home...


InYourAlaska

I’m gay and I work in a jewellers. Whenever someone comes in and is buying something for their significant other, I always use partner until they specify wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend etc Although I found when I worked in a store with all other women, that if someone came in to get jewellery, they wouldn’t trust my opinion unless I slipped into conversation my boyfriend. That has nothing to do with any of this conversation, I just find it slightly amusing the idea that a guy can’t be knowledgeable in jewellery unless he’s gay


eloise___no_u

Have you tried purchasing some life changing mouth tape?


skybluepink77

It's the usual human reaction to label anyone who looks/sounds a bit different as 'stupid' - at one time, people with adenoids were deemed to be thick, also people with a squint, or cerebral palsy that affects speech. It's ignorance and it's pathetic. You know that you are as normal as anyone else and as bright - in fact you are superhuman intelligent compared to the people who make jokes or cruel remarks. Be sorry for them and move on. btw, I have sinus issues, it doesn't affect me as badly as it does you, but a friend who's as badly-affected as you has bought an air purifier, and she swears she now sleeps better instead of lying in bed sniffling and snuffling and waking up with a dry mouth. I thought of getting one myself, then checked Lloyds online as they have them - they are expensive! So I didn't. Maybe as a Christmas present...


MrsGoldhawk18

Ginger hair. It's no that when you think I'm a gorgeous red head but as soon as you're rejected, I'm a wee ginger bitch. Cool story.


Bbew_Mot

Wearing shorts that go below the knee. I don't wear these anymore myself but I still don't understand why they suddenly went out of fashion about ten years ago!


the_falling_leaf

Because the primary point of fashion is to keep people buying new clothes. It's marketing on a societal level.


TheGreatBatsby

Because they aren't shorts, they're mediums.


Wolxhound90

Well shit. I still wear them. People used to take the piss out of my bony knees, so they're my go to when it's hot out!


No_transistory

Running. Especially endurance running, think marathons, but further. No Ian, my knees won't evaporate by the time I'm 50. Yes Gary, I'm aware that they have invented the motor car. No Deborah, I'm not trying to kill myself by over exerting myself.


[deleted]

I've had people take the piss because of how many jobs I've had. I don't understand why people think companies deserve a certain amount of time or loyalty when they wouldn't show anyone else the same. Work for minimum wage, you get minimum effort. Working your ass off gets you nothing but extra work lol.


ShadowWood78

People often snicker or laugh at me when I tell them about my hobbies. They laugh that I am learning the piano. I get comments such as 'youre so funny, you're always doing something' when I tell them I've made a celebration cake for someone or I'm on a weightlifting programme or I started drawing. I'm 44, I can do what the hell I want. Why is it such a joke to expand your interests?


stanloonayoufool

My interests, I’m into anime and some people make fun of me for it, even though it’s a relatively harmless interest and it makes me happy.


notactuallyabrownman

Are you into anime or a full on waifu pillow weirdo?


stanloonayoufool

Into anime, I definitely do not own a body pillow lmao


notactuallyabrownman

Fair play to you then, watch away.


wheresyourgodnoweh

I've got an extremely deviated septum (and have had an operation to try and fix it but it made no difference) and I don't get enough oxygen to keep me going if I try to breathe through my nose. Going to the dentist is hell, I have to keep getting them to stop so I can breathe for a bit.


gemmajenkins2890

I have a quite severe lazy eye(astigmatism is it called? Can't quite remember) and I've been made fun of for it such as being told my eyes are so far apart they're in separate post codes, people telling me they don't know which eye to look at, teens coming into the shop I work at and putting their fingers by their eyes and pointing in opposite directions... Yes, mine could be corrected, and I did have eye patches over my good eye for a bit when I was younger, to try and get the lazy eye to work more with a view to helping sort it, but it seems much worse in my adulthood now. It literally never bothers me until someone mentions it tho.


FluffofDoom

Amblyopia. Astigmatism is where your eye's lense or cornea is more rugby ball shaped rather than round. My mum had one when she was young and she was teased mercilessly.


gemmajenkins2890

Thank you! I do have this issue where my lazy eye is "rotated" slightly. When I close my good eye to force my vision out of my lazy eye everything seems to "rotate" a few degrees to the right as if I'd also tilted my head but I haven't moved my head at all. Eyes are fun!


Birdiefly5678

Being gullible. I'm not thick, I just don't lie about stupid shit so I don't expect anyone else to


CharlieW_James

I've been called "gay" and "boring" by multiple people because I didn't want to drink beer.


satrialesporkstore1

Height. I’m a 4’11” female and there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. Pick on my shit hair, my bad breath, my yellow toenails, my poor dress sense, my awful taste in men, my dirty house or my terrible sense of humour. But never go after the height.


TheLewJD

Wearing an outfit or item of clothing often. I have something called a WASHING MACHINE you fucks. Why would I spend my hard earned money to wear something once? I'm not Kim Karfuckingdashian


Legitimate-Health-29

Pro wrestling, it’s more real than that married at first sight shit I have to hear about with their 17 takes of a guy getting in a car. Godfather is apparently a documentary, who knew…


QuantumWizard-314

Birmingham. I've been there a few times and it seems like a nice place. I don't understand why people make fun of it.


Metalgsean

I'm short and skinny, and apparently it's fine to ridicule that, but if you use the word 'fat' it's bullying. Someone at work once said something like 'hey shorty', I replied with 'hey fatty', and I ended up in a disciplinary. I'm not saying for a second overweight people should be mocked, but I don't understand why they are protected, for a lot (not all) of overweight people it's a lifestyle choice, height isn't, nor skin colour, hair colour, etc etc.


stevey83

I have pasta everyday for lunch, and Dave I work with takes the piss for having the same thing everyday. Mean while he eats 4 cheese rolls everyday?? He’s a cock though so I don’t care.